Display device



F. S. GEE.

msmv DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAR- 7,1921- 7 1 395 982; Patented Nov. 1,1921.

$ 2 22 419513?- 1' f g j FREDERICK SAMUEL GEE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DISPLAY DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Intent.

' Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

Application filed larch 7, 1921. Serial llo. 450,382.

- ments or other notices of the kind in which characters constitutingthe advertisement are adjustably carried on a support on which they canbe rearranged from time to time to change the appearance or nature ofthe advertisement.

The invention has for its main object to provide a device in which thecharacters are readily detachable from, and attachable to, their supportin a simple manner without the use of rings, hooks, lugs or similarmembers.

The particular type of display device to which this invention relates isthat comprising in combination a plurality of tablets each of which iscomposed wholly or partially of magnetizable material and bears on portupon the surface of which the tablets 1 are to be displayed, and aplurality of permanentor electro-magnets carried on the support withtheir pole faces presented at or near the display surface and spacedapart substantially uniformly over that surface (for example in parallelrows with the pole faces in each row staggered in relation to those inthe next adjacent rows).

According to the present invention there is provided for a displaydevice of the type described above, a support comprising in combinationa wooden or other non-magnetic base member to receive a plurality ofhorseshoe magnets with their yokes abutting said base member, and aseries of parallel spacing strips abutting the outsides of the magnetshanks and so recessed as to engage said shanks and locate the magnetsin parallel rows and in any desired spaced relationship in each row,said strips extending across the base member and having their endssecured thereto 'at or near opposite edges thereof.

Preferably in combination with the spacing strips aforesaid there areprovided a series of retaining strips with their sides parallel with andabutting those of the spacing strips, each retaining strip extendingalong a row of magnets between the shanks thereof and secured at itsends, at or near opposite edges of the base member. The retainmg stripsalso may be recessed where they embrace the magnet shanks, the two setsof recesses (71 e., those in the spacing strips and those in theretaining strips) cooperating to accommodate the magnet shanks and thusprovide a uniform unbroken surface in which the pole faces of themagnets lie. It Wlll understood that the spacing strips constitute meansto locate the magnets in the base member while the retaining stripssecure them thereto.

Two preferred forms of the invention will now be described by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a plan of a portion of the device, the part to the right ofthe figure having the cover for the display surface removed;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 1-1, Fig. 1, and i Fig. 3 isa sectional elevation corresponding to Fig. 2 and diagrammaticallyillustrative of a modification constituting the second example.

In the first example, the support comprises a wooden base member A and aseries of wooden spacing strips B, B Abutting the base member A are theyokes of a plurality of horseshoe magnets C arranged in equally spacedparallel rows across the support.

The magnets are so arranged within each row that the shanks of themagnets of one row are staggered in relation to those of ad jacent rows.

Each magnet is formed from a flat strip of magnetizable metal having acomparatively large width in proportion to its thickness. Thus eachhorse-shoe magnet will present two pole-faces with their long Sidesparallel to one another.

The magnets are maintained in position by two spacing strips B, B theformer being located between the shanks D of the magnets in each row,and the latter between the shanks of' adjacent rows. The

recessed to accommodate the shanks; in this way the pole faces lie in auniform unbroken surface constituting the display surface .of thedevice. This surface is provided w1th a silk covering F and the whole isinclosed in a wooden frame G. v

- The tablets are in the form of letters H stamped out of sheet metalwith their outer or display surfaces coated with celluloid, enamel orother decorative material.

It will be readily understood that. by providing a suitable number ofmagnet-poles over the display surface of the support the tablets may beplaced in any deslred pos1- tion thereon and will be retained 1n thatposition by magnetic attraction. From these positions they may bereadily removed to other positions as may be-found desirable.

In the second example illustrated,- the display surface takes the formof a sheet J of magnetizable metal. On the underside of this sheet aretwo rings K, L of magnetizable metal encircled by energizing coils K Lconnected to a dry battery M carried by the support and adapted tomagnetically excite the sheet J.

The particular examples hereinbefore described admit of considerablemodification without departing from the spirit of the invention. In thesecond example, for instance, the sheet J may itself be peripherallyencircled by an energizing coil in place of the coils K L Such a formwould be most conveniently-employed when the tablets were required to bearranged around the marginal portions only of the display surface.Further, in place of the dry battery M the coils might, if desired, beconnected to one member of a plug connector and excited direct from thelive mains of an electric circuit. Again, .electro-magnets mayconveniently be substituted for the permanent magnets C of the firstexample, and means be.providedsimilarto those already described-forenergizing the magnets.

Inplace of the screws E for securing the strips 13,13 to the support,wire rods threaded through the strips and extending laterally across thesupport in the direction of the line 1-1, Fig. 1, may be provided. Theends of the rods would be screwed to receive nuts adapted to draw thestrips together when the magnets were assembled. With thisconstructionit would not of course be possible to adopt the staggeredrelation between the magnets of adjacent rows, as the rods must passthrough the strips at points between the magnets.

It is not necessary that the tablets be wholly metallic, they mayequally well be composed of cardboard, celluloid or other materialprovided with a metallic backing having magnetizable qualities andwholly or partially covering one face of the tablet.

The support with its tablets or characters applied to it may as a wholebe inclosed in a glazed or other frame for the purpose of imparting afinished appearance to the device.

The decorative covering to overlie the display surface of the supportand to be situated between the latter and the tablets may be of anydesired material andmay itself be decorated or marked out with anydesign which will conform with the nature.

of the advertisement or the like desired or with the arrangement of thecharacters.

Although the foregoing description has been that mainly of anadvertising device it is obvious that a display device according to theinvention would include toys, black boards and other members upon whichit is desired to display certain characters.

What I claim as m invention and desire to secure by Letters atent is 1.In a display device of the type del scribed, in combination, a supportcomprising a non-magnetic base member adapted to receive. a plurality ofhorseshoe magnets with their yokes abutting said base member, and aseries of parallel spacing strips abutting the outsides of the magnetshanks and so recessed as to engage said shanks and locate the magnetsin parallel rows and in any desired space relationshp in each row, saidstrips extending across the base member and having their ends securedthereto at or near opposite edges thereof.

2. In a display device of the type described, in combination a supportcomprising a non-magnetic base member adapted to receive a plurality ofhorseshoe magnets arranged in spaced parallel rows with their yokesabutting said base member, the magnets in each row being staggered inrelation to'those in adjacent rows, for each row of magnets a retainingstrip extending between and parallel with the magnet shanks in that rowand having at its ends secured, at or near opposite edges of the basemember aforesald, and between each two ad] acent rows, a

spacing strip, parallel with the retaining scribed, in combination asupport comipris mg a non-magnetlc base member to IGOGIVB,

a plurality of horseshoe magnets with their yokes abutting said basemember, a series of parallel spacing strips abutting the outsides of themagnet-shanks and so recessed as to engage said shanks and locate themagnets in parallel rows and in any desired spaced relationshi in eachrow, and a series of retaining strips the sides of which are parallelwith and abut those of the spacing strips aforesaid, each retainingstrip extending 5 along a row of magnets between the shanks thereof,said spacing and retaining strips being of such depth that their outerfaces lie in substantially the same plane as the pole pieces of themagnets and both sets of strips extending across the base member and 10having their ends secured thereto at or near opposite edges thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FREDERICK SAMUEL GEE.

